Man filmed holding swan by its neck in Caerphilly has charges dropped

Charges against a man who was filmed carrying a swan by its neck near Caerphilly Castle in December have been dropped.

The man in his 30s had been due to stand trial for the offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 at Newport Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning.

But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the charges had been "discontinued on legal evidential grounds".

The man, who gave his address as a property in Blackwood, had previously pleaded not guilt at a hearing in December 2023.

On Tuesday, he appeared before a judge at Newport Magistrates Court to be sentenced for a separate and unrelated offence of assaulting a police officer.

Body-worn footage showed the man pushing a female police officer inside a property in 2023. The man had been told he could not give his partner a swig of vodka while she was in the process of being arrested for a separate offence.

Robert Reid, prosecuting, said there had been a "certain menace in the atmosphere” while the man's partner was being handcuffed, and his assault on the officer then followed.

Darren Bishop, representing the defendant, pointed to the fact the man apologised to the officer quickly after the incident and accepted his arrest for the offence.

Mr Bishop said his client has been using his time in custody to enrol on two courses.

The judge said it was an "unpleasant assault and an unnecessary offence" and handed down a number of fines for assault of an emergency worker and failure to attend a hearing.

However, due to the man having served time in custody since last December, his fines were waived.